Cook the Book: 'My Bread'

Jim Lahey was catapulted into national fame in 2006 when Mark Bittman of The New York Times shared his revolutionary No-Knead Bread recipe.

Without all of that time consuming, arm-tiring kneading, bread baking becomes instantly accessible to the home baker, and Lahey's fool-proof method creates a loaf of bread that could stand up to any of the pricier, artisanal version. A dark, rustic loaf with a cracklingly crisp crust and wonderfully chewy crumb doesn't require a trip to a bakery, just flour, water, salt, yeast and about a day of resting time.

Most of the recipes in My Bread are inspired by the breads that Lahey experienced in Italy but the recipes rely heavily on the no-knead method making them entirely possible to replicate at home even without the skills of a seasoned baker. My Bread also includes some of the wonderful sandwiches that are available at Sullivan Street Bakery and pizzas from Lahey's pizzeria, Co.

Lahey has made it his personal mission to reintroduce this country to real bread, not the squishy white specimens that line supermarket shelves. Everyday this week we will be baking one of Lahey's creations and sharing our results with you, even if you don't fancy yourself to be much of a bread baker, beginning with the Basic No-Knead Bread Recipe.

Win 'My Bread'

Thanks to the generous folks over at Norton, we are giving away five (5) copies of My Bread this week. All you have to do is tell us about the most triumphant or disasterous loaf of bread that you've ever baked in the comments section below.

Five (5) people will be chosen at random among the eligible comments below. We're sorry, but entry is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Comments will close Monday, April 5 at noon ET. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.